Many glass bottles shaped like fish have been found from ancient
Egyptian times, but this tilapia is particularly beautiful. First,
a skilled craftworker made a fish-shape out of clay. Strands of hot
molten glass were trailed over this core to make the basic body.
Next, coloured rods of molten glass were wrapped around the fish
and dragged with a tool to make a pattern of fish-scales. The body
was then smoothed over and eyes and fins were added. Finally the
clay inside was scraped out.

Tilapia fish hide their babies in their mouths, letting them out
after danger has passed. The Egyptians thought that this was like
being born again, and so the tilapia was important to them.